Creating Accessible Websites
This spring, I conducted an in-depth website accessibility evaluation for nonprofit Skills Inc.
My site audit identified 12 issues that did not conform to federal Section 508 Standards, WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 1.0, and the latest WCAG 2.0, released in 2009.
WordPress Conversion
CSS/XHTML Web Development: Scott Marlow
A new WordPress Content Management System for AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma.
Kettle Crest Advocacy Fest
Sherman Peak - site of 1988 White Mtn. fire
Jen and I just returned from a weekend mountain bike festival, the 2010 Kettle Crest Fest.
Friday, our trail work party cleared more trees than we could count from the Sherman Peak Loop trail (photo above, ~6,000 ft.). Then we enjoyed two days of some of Washington State’s finest singletrack – including a 2,000′ descent of the Jungle Hill Loop.
The annual advocacy event is hosted by Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and coordinated by volunteer Tim Banning. Lucky for us, New Belgium Brewing was a sponsor!
Designer Website
Graphic Design: Kelly Davis, Farm Girl Works
WordPress Web Development: Scott Marlow, Marketing By Marlow
A new website for residential designer Alexandra Immel. Powered by WordPress, the site features an editable image gallery that showcases Alexandra’s design work in large detail.
Scott was delightful to work with. He was always attentive to my detailed and numerous requests and questions. I was so grateful for his patience as I got exactly what I wanted for my website. I would love to work with him again and highly recommend him to everyone. He is a gem.
Alexandra Immel
www.alexandraimmeldesign.com
Cyclist of the Month: Linda Deller
Age: 53
Occupation: patient service representative, Urology Northwest
Hometown: Longview, WA
Degree: B.A. Business, Washington State University
Wheels: Specialized Ruby Pro
Local cancer survivor finds friends and therapy through bicycling with Cascade Bicycle Club.
Ten years ago, Linda was riding a thirty-pound Novarra cross bike ten miles to Woodinville. She used to wrap her feet in plastic bread bags, and didn’t even carry a water bottle.
Today, Linda is a veteran of some of Washington’s most challenging endurance rides — including RAMROD, RAW, RSVP, and Redmond Rotary’s Red-Spoke. Read more
What’s the Best Web Host?
For WordPress web hosting, I recommend BlueHost. However, WordPress websites can be hosted by any provider that supports its minimum MySQL and PHP requirements.
For custom CSS websites, I prefer Newtek Web hosting – powered by Crystal Tech.
Web hosts that I do NOT recommend
(based on my personal negative usability and/or customer service experiences)
- DreamHost
- GoDaddy
- Media Temple
- Network Solutions
Features to look for in a web host
- 1Gb, or more, of disc space (note: host expenses are related more to bandwidth than disc space)
- Domestic (not offshore) support personnel
- Easy-to-use Control Panel
- Spam filtering, preferably that can be customized
- Toll-free phone support (live chat at a minimum)
- Unique IP Address
- Webmail, like SmarterMail
- And, for WordPress: Apache web server with .htaccess
Tips for Choosing a Web Host:
- Don’t buy the cheapest hosting plan offered; you’ll often end up on a server, possibly old and slow, with thousands of other sites.
- Don’t host your site with your friend, in your friend’s basement or garage.
- Don’t host your site with your domain registrar. Separating your domain registration from your web host makes it easier to move hosts in the event you are dissatisfied with service. Likewise, be careful hosting your site with your designer, developer, or anyone else who is not managing web servers for at least a few thousand domains.
In my experience, expect to pay about $10 per month for reliable shared web hosting with excellent customer service and tech support. If you need help choosing a web host, moving web hosts, or with other host administration, contact me.
P.S. For domain registration, you can register new domain names at my Registry Rocket account (a service of eNom, based locally in Bellevue, Washington).
Quality Craftsmanship and Thoughtful Design
CSS/XHTML Web Development: Scott Marlow
Photography: Ashley Delatour, Susanna Moore, Josh Niederberger
Graphic Design: van den Berg Design
We would definitely recommend Scott Marlow. Scott is knowledgeable, accessible, resourceful and a nice guy who is easy to work with! The whole process of re-designing our out-dated website was broken down into understandable, logical steps so that we were able to launch our new site on time and within our budget.
—Susanna Moore and Josh Niederberger
Niederberger Contracting